firpst annibersary.

well folks, we've arrived at our year mark. we are now experts on everything marriage. mahah.

first year accomplishments are as follows:

1. we've managed to create our own language that we use 84% of the time in speaking to each other. it scares other people, so we try and only use it in the confines of our own home.
2. we've gone from months and months sleeping on an air mattress to now sleeping on a normal bed like normal human beings.
3. we painted our table blue.
4. we've consumed more mcdonalds and wendy's than anyone should ever consume in a year's time. and as a result, i've become a bit more of a chubby chubberson and matt... well,... matt is the still the same.
5. we can read each other really well now. matt knows what it means for christine to be crabby and when she needs a backrub, and christine knows when he needs some relaxy time to program or just to talk about one of his new dreams/ ideas.
6. we've learned just how important it is to stay close, keep the Spirit, say sorry, and pick our battles. Satan works hard on this thing called marriage, but i'm afraid he's out of luck with us two.
7. prayer, scriptures, and fhe= success.
8. we've seen each other at our lowest lows. yipes. but that has just made us love each other harder.
9. saying "i love you" never gets old.
10. marriage is fragile-- so be sure to kiss a lot, slow dance, tell secrets, tell the other they're hot, and speak kindly and gently.


today has been a day like most others. we had a "family dance": this ritual consists of matt and i turning on our favorite tunes and dancing around the house. we turned on the song that was played at our reception one year ago today, "Sing With Me" by my matt. we held each other and slow danced. matt said, "let's be together forever, okay?"... i said, "sounds like a plan, stan".

we plan on going out to eat at our favorite italian restaurant later this evening: gloria's little italy. this place is heaven on earth. in our mouths. it's so good you almost (.... ALMOST) don't realize that with every bite of ravioli, you're getting poorer and poorer (we did the math one time... each ravioli with cheese is like $3 bucks... how wonderful).

here's a note i received from my sweet husband just minutes ago--

Dear Christine,

It’s hard to believe that an entire year has passed since we were sealed for time and all eternity. That day marks a turning point in our lives that leads directly to God and the eternal happiness He enjoys. You are the single greatest blessing of my life. My heart fills to the brim as I reflect on our experiences and the choices we have made during this last year that have brought us closer. You may not fully understand, due to the impossibility of expressing such a thing using words, what you are for me. You are my emotional support, my companion, my conduit through which I most often experience Heavenly Father’s love, my best friend, my soul mate, my rock… my sure.

We’ve spent one wonderful year together. It has been a year of learning and growing as we’ve communicated on deep levels and shared sacred experiences. The thought that this process will continue on throughout our lives and after brings great joy to my heart. I feel as though you are not merely the person with whom I share a deep connection, but rather that you are in fact a part of me; you are the best part of me.

I love you for who you are, for who you’ve chosen to be. I am humbled and honored that our Father saw fit to give me such a gift as you. He knows how to give His children good gifts, and He knows that you are the greatest gift that I could have ever been given, aside only from the Gift of His Son. I thank Him for you, especially as I reflect on the beautiful experiences we shared one year ago in His temple.

I can’t wait to share the rest of our lives together and continue down the path we have established for ourselves. Thank you for being my everything.

I love you. Forever.

-Matthew

i know i get to be with this wonderful person i call my husband for time and all eternity. i know it's possible through Jesus Christ. what a miracle. what a blessing.

new guilty pleasure= decorating.

i used to make fun of people who worried about what their home looked like. now look at me. i'm a mess. but i can't stop. it's oh so much fun.

leather chair: $50 on KSL (regularly $250)
foot stool: $10 at Ross

globe: $10 at D.I.
side table: $12 at Ross

Shelf: given to us by family; stain: $12

chair: given to us by family; paint-- $12
cushion for matt's bum: $6 at walmart

table and chairs: given to us by family; paint-- $12
vase and flower: $2 at D.I.

happy happenings.

it's 1:03 in the afternoon and matt and i still have bed-head. what does that tell you? man, i love fridays.

what's new?

-i'm growing out my bangs as of late so my hair is struggling something fierce. those "in-between" hair-styles are so special. wish me luck-- i'm worried i'll just get so frustrated that i'll cut them back again and then be back at square-one.

-matt and my skin is so pasty-white from staying in our cave (aka. apartment) pretty much all summer. so i'm finally caving and getting a tanning pass. seems silly because the SUN is free, but it must be done. drastic whiteness calls for drastic tanning.

-a few evenings ago we attended the OWL CITY CONCERT. was it incredible? yes. did it blow my mind? yes. was it incredibly stinky? yes.--so, we go downtown to "in the venue" for the concert and it was NOT air-conditioned. add 300 people to the mix and it starts to smell a little foul. stick those 300 people into an unfortunately small space and "foul" very quickly becomes "rank". but OWL CITY came out and all was well. i looked around during the concert and it was so cool to see everyone having such a wonderful time. music really unites people. i googled "Adam" (Owl City lead singer/ song-writer) on the drive home and discovered he struggles with aspergers disease. people who struggle with aspergers disease have intense difficulty in social situations. and here he is performing for hundreds of people, making us laugh, and helping us feel optimistic about life. he is NOT his disease. that is so inspiring to me.

-new game obsession: SKIP-BO. this game is part of the reason why we went to bed so late last night and have yet to really START the day today. it is so enjoyable. the best part is just sitting across from my EC. we are horrible competitors because we end up putting down cards that will help the other win.

-my current medication is treating me well. i'm on the off-brand for Zoloft (depression medication), and it really helps me to be who i want to be. it doesn't substitute personal effort by any means, but it gets me to the point where i don't feel like i have to climb a mountain, just a stair-case or two. i made the mistake of missing a few days last week. i sunk pretty low pretty quickly. and i started to get these "brain-zaps" which, from reading the withdrawal symptoms online, we found out is "normal" (haha).

-matt and i will be married for exactly one year in 5 days. 5 days. wow. it's been quite the ride. i never realized i could be so completely reliant on one individual. i need him always. without him, i feel like i'm missing a vital limb. maybe even two. he helps me enjoy this journey called life.